“I just get mad that people bad mouth us like we did something wrong. So we’re supposed to be like ‘No, we can’t go play for the Broncos.’ … The Broncos wanted us here, so we came here.”

Moving on

Now, we can’t live in the past. Times and circumstances change.

Jammer will be 34 this month and is slowing down. Phillips turned 32 last month and was viewed as neither essential on the field nor the best influence in the locker room. Vasquez was considered a solid player but not worth the extra millions and salary cap finagling it would have taken.

Still, for whatever factors went into allowing Jammer, Phillips and Vasquez to depart, it is curious, given the positions the three play, that the Chargers’ believed they would be better off without these particular veterans.

The Chargers are in the midst of remodeling their offensive line. Yet they decided arguably the top guard on the market did not fit in their blueprint, at least at the price the Broncos paid.

Vasquez acknowledged it surprised him that the Chargers did not make more of a play for him, especially after Mike McCoy reached out to him almost immediately after being hired.

“But there’s the business side to it,” Vasquez said. “And it sucks, but at the end of the day you gotta do what is best for you, I guess.”

Even before Melvin Ingram was lost to an ACL tear, the Chargers’ pass rush was iffy. Yet a player with 9½ sacks in 2012 was not worth the $1 million guaranteed he ended up getting from the Broncos.

“I thought it would be a no-brainer,” Phillips said. “I would just think you would keep a couple vets around just because of the fact that, to help groom the young guys … My impression was that there was no interest. They told me that the door is always open, that I could come back. But they told me that I was coming back as a backup. You know, I’m definitely not coming back as a backup.”

The Chargers’ free agent prize was cornerback Derek Cox, and they have one of the game’s finest free safeties in Weddle. After that, their secondary is endemic with inexperience. Yet they moved on from a man with 161 career starts who was willing to play a supporting role at corner and safety.

“I don’t believe they had interest,” Jammer said. “I talked to (General Manager Tom) Telesco. He told me the door was open, but I didn’t hear anything else from him.”

Acceptance

Vasquez signed with the Broncos on the first day of free agency. Phillips signed last month. Jammer agreed to become a Bronco two weeks ago.

All three say the new systems, new terminology and new surrounding have them feeling a little like rookies after spending their entire careers with one team. Jammer, especially, is spending a lot of time learning, as he is primarily playing safety.

Vasquez bought his first home recently. Jammer and Phillips are staying at the same hotel for now. Phillips recently found an apartment. Jammer is looking for one.